Chocolate Avocado Pudding (That Tastes Nothing Like Avocado)

June 15, 2012

I didn’t think it was possible for me to love avocado any more than I already did. And then I tried chocolate avocado pudding. Wow. Seriously, I daydream about this pudding. It’s so rich, dense, and chocolatey. And the strangest thing is, it tastes nothing like avocado. Not that tasting like avocado would necessarily be a bad thing, but avocado does have a pretty distinct flavor, so it’s pretty cool that it doesn’t. So if you’re not a fan of avocado, please don’t dismiss my praise for this pudding as that of simply an avocado fanatic. To prove my point, I actually served this to an unsuspecting friend who had no idea what was in it. My friend thought the pudding was delicious, and was absolutely shocked to find out that the main ingredient was avocado.

Another reason that I’m so excited about this pudding is that a lot of traditional pudding recipes use cornstarch or flour. Not only is this pudding gluten and corn-free, it’s also dairy-free, making it pretty paleo-complaint (if you’re okay with honey – otherwise you could throw in some dates as sweetener). In fact, I’d say this pudding is borderline healthy, what with all the nutritious fatty avocado goodness :)

Ingredients (Serves 2-3)

2 large, ripe avocados, pits and skin removed

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

generous pinch of salt

whipped cream (optional)

nuts (optional)

Preparation:

1. Place first 5 ingredients into food processor and process until smooth.

3. Chill for minimum 2 hours (not absolutely necessary, but does make a difference).

4. Optional: top with some sweetened whipped cream (dairy or coconut) or/and some nuts.

Notes:

I love simple recipes, and really all you need is the first 3 ingredients and 5 minutes. If you don’t have vanilla, don’t sweat it. And salt doesn’t really count as an “ingredient”.

The first time around, I recommend making the pudding as per above. The second time though (and trust me, there will be a second time), you may want to play around with a few components, like using less honey (1/3 cup would probably suffice), or adding either a few tablespoons of heavy cream or coconut milk if you prefer it less dense. And as I mentioned above, if you avoid honey, you could sub in some pitted dates (6 should be about right).

To mix it up further, add various fruits/nut toppings. Orange zest would be another great addition. Or you could layer it as a parfait in between either whipped cream, fruit, or nuts (or all three).

Have you tasted avocado pudding before? Are you as smitten by it as I am?

I love avocado pudding! And I have successfully tricked my boyfriend into thinking it was regular pudding. The avocado flavor seems to come out much more if the pudding is too warm, so I make sure its nice and cold before I serve it to him, I don’t mind the avocado flavor though! The recipe I use also calls for a small spoonful of coconut oil- not sure if it makes too much of a difference though.

Definitely going to try this. I enjoy chocolate pudding, but don’t like av0cados, so this just might be the thing for me to get those excellent healing and heart healthy properties they offer and enjoy chocolate pudding. Thanks bunches.

I just bought some local raw honey, I’ll have to give yours a try. Both honey and dates are strong enough flavors to influence the final taste of a dish (not necessarily a bad thing) so I’m curious to see the difference.

Interesting – I’m guessing the dates would change the texture too. I find I notice the taste of dates more than I do honey. It’s like the honey blends in with more flavors, whereas the dates make themselves known more (to me anyway). I didn’t notice a honey taste to the pudding – perhaps because it’s not a huge amount of honey that goes in. I need to source some local raw honey!

OMG, just made this and it is spoon licking good! My non-Paleo husband watched in disbelief as I processed the ingredients. Then he tasted the end result and could not believe it. I only had dark cocoa on hand and just used 1/3 cup of the honey, but it is delicious, thank you ,thank you, thank you!

I loved the consistency but the taste was awful :-( It was bitter and lacking in the sweet department. I think I was a little short on honey-could that have made the difference? I’m definitely going to give this another try though!

Aw, sorry to hear that! What percentage chocolate do you typically eat? If you’re used to stuff below 70% or so, then you might need a bit more honey.. also, make sure that the cocoa powder is good quality.. but this pudding isn’t supposed to taste like your supermarket pudding – it’s more of a subtle sweetness, with an intensely chocolate flavour.. hopefully it’s more to your liking the 2nd time around! :)